January 22, 2023 Bo
Exodus 10:4
כִּ֛י אִם־מָאֵ֥ן אַתָּ֖ה לְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ אֶת־עַמִּ֑י הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֥יא מָחָ֛ר אַרְבֶּ֖ה בִּגְבֻלֶֽךָ׃
"For if you refuse to let My people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts on your territory."
Never too Late
The fact that G-d warned Pharaoh that he would be punished for not obeying Moses' demand means that the door to repentance open. True, G-d had made Pharaoh stubborn, but that just meant that it was difficult for him to repent. Had Pharact summoned the inner strength to listen to his conscience, he stil
could have let the Jews go and spared himself and his country the impending ruin.
First lesson
Noahides come from a world that is often very alienated from HaShem. Different norms and values and, above all, a very different image of G-d.
I myself originally come from a very small sectarian Christian movement, which I can say was in everything the complete opposite of what I now know and teach as a Noahide.
Deep down, however, there was always a little voice saying it was the wrong way. So no matter how far away the truth seems to be, no matter how close the door seems to be....if we really want a relationship with HaShem, He points the right way and brings the right people into our path.
Second lesson
When we talk about our new Noahide path with family and friends, we can experience a lot of resistance, when we are so keen to encourage them to step outside their own imaginary boundaries and see and explore beyond what they know.
Sometimes we seem like a caller in the desert, sometimes we feel like a leper who is no longer allowed to join the group of people around us. We see among those around us, anger, frustration and the breaking up of friendships.
But we can always hope, that just as HaShem gave Pharaoh a way to return to Him, the same applies to our neighbours, even if it seems impossible to us.
Sources: Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitscher Rebbe
Angelique Sijbolts is one of the main writers for the NoahideAcademy.org website. She contributes for the admin of the website in English and Dutch. She teaches Hebrew to beginners and intermediate students at the Academy.
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